Star Ocean is a series of science fiction and fantasy action and role-playing video games created by the Japanese company tri-Ace and published by Square Enix, which was previously known as Enix.
Development
Star Ocean is one of the first real-time role-playing games (RPGs) that let players change the story's ending based on their choices and actions. The original Star Ocean, released in 1996 by Enix and developed by tri-Ace, included a system called "private actions," which allowed players to influence the relationship between the main character and other characters. These relationships affected the story, creating different paths and multiple endings. The 1999 sequel, Star Ocean: The Second Story, expanded this idea, offering up to 86 unique endings, with hundreds of possible combinations. This system was inspired by dating simulation games, where players earned friendship and relationship points with characters, allowing them to form romantic or friendly pairings of their choice. These relationships also changed how characters acted during battles.
The developers at tri-Ace created the Star Ocean series with a science fiction theme, drawing inspiration from Star Trek for the game's visuals and overall style. The first game included more fantasy elements to attract a wider audience, but later games focused more on science fiction. Star Ocean: Till the End of Time was described by its producer, Yoshinori Yamagishi, as tri-Ace's "ultimate vision" of the Star Ocean universe. The long time gap between Star Ocean: The Second Story and Till the End of Time in the game's timeline was due to the series' focus on building the fictional world rather than following characters closely. In Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness, producer Shuichi Kobayashi noted that one of the game's main themes is the idea of first contact between two different societies and planets.
Games
The first game in the series was called Star Ocean. It was released on July 19, 1996, for the Super Famicom and was not released outside Japan. However, it was translated into English by DeJap Translations using a method called ROM hacking. The game can now be played through emulation. It introduced key features of the series, such as a futuristic setting, real-time battles, item creation, and private actions. The story takes place in 346 SD and follows Roddick Farrence as he searches for a cure to a sickness on his planet with the help of two Earthlings. An improved version called Star Ocean: First Departure was released for the PlayStation Portable on December 27, 2007, in Japan, and in North America and Europe in October 2008. This version used the engine from Star Ocean 2, included prerendered backgrounds and 3D battlefields, and added new character art, animated cut-scenes, and fully voiced dialogue. It also introduced new playable characters.
Star Ocean: The Second Story was released for the PlayStation on July 30, 1998, in Japan, May 31, 1999, in North America, and April 12, 2000, in Europe. It kept the features of the first game but added prerendered backgrounds, full motion videos, and 3D battlefields. The story takes place in 366 SD and follows a new group of characters, including Claude C. Kenny, the son of Ronyx J. Kenny from the first game, and Rena Lanford. Together, they investigate the Sorcery Globe, which has landed on Planet Expel and caused disasters. An improved version called Star Ocean: Second Evolution was released for the PlayStation Portable on April 2, 2008, in Japan, January 20, 2009, in North America, and the following month in Australia and Europe. It included fully voiced dialogue, new playable characters, and new artwork and animated cut-scenes from Production I.G.
Star Ocean: Blue Sphere is a direct sequel to The Second Story and was released for the Game Boy Color on June 28, 2001, in Japan. A North American version was planned but canceled. This game adapted the series for handheld devices, changing features like interactive item creation, auto private actions, 2D side-scrolling battles, and Field Actions. It removed random battles. The story takes place in 368 SD, two years after The Second Story, and follows the return of all twelve main characters as they solve the mystery of Planet Edifice, which destroys civilizations every 200 years. In 2008, a Japanese-only remake for mobile devices was released with new graphics, controls, and a revised battle system.
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time was released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan in 2003. A director’s cut with bonus dungeons, new playable characters, a versus mode, and gameplay changes was released in 2004 and brought to North America and Europe the same year. This game was the first fully 3D game in the series and included fully voiced dialogue. It kept most features from previous games but added new elements, such as the fury and bonus battle gauge, the ability to patent items, and recruiting inventors to create items. The story takes place in 772 SD, nearly 400 years after Blue Sphere. The main character, Fayt Leingod, is pursued by Vendeeni forces across space after being separated from his family during an alien attack.
Star Ocean: The Last Hope was released for the Xbox 360 in February 2009 in Japan and North America, and in June 2009 in Australia and Europe. It was also released for the PlayStation 3 worldwide in February 2010. This game is a prequel to the series and follows the aftermath of World War III, where humanity searches for a new home. The protagonist is Edge Maverick, who is joined by his childhood friend, Reimi Saionji.
Star Ocean: Material Trader is a free-to-play card and item creation RPG developed by Hippos Lab and published by Square Enix for the GREE mobile phone social network in 2013. The service was discontinued in February 2014, and the application was later removed.
Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness was released for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 in 2016. The story takes place between The Second Story and Till the End of Time, in 537 SD.
Star Ocean: Anamnesis was a free-to-play RPG with 3D characters and environments. Players could battle enemies in real-time with up to four players. It was released in Japan on December 7, 2016, and later worldwide in July 2018 for Android and iOS. Both versions were discontinued in 2019 and 2021, respectively.
Star Ocean: The Divine Force was released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam on October 27, 2022. The game features two protagonists and a story that changes based on player choices. Akira Yasuda, known as Akiman, returned as the character designer from Integrity and Faithlessness and Anamnesis.
Of the seven games in the series, six were released outside Japan. Star Ocean: The Second Story was the first game published in the United States by Sony Computer Entertainment America.
With the release of Star Ocean: Till the End of Time for the PlayStation 2, Square Enix aimed to attract more players, especially in the United States, where the series had not been very popular. A Director’s Cut version of the game with more playable characters, additional storylines, and more games was released in North America. By July 2005, Till the End of Time was included in Sony’s Greatest Hits line, showing its success in North America.
In 2008, Square Enix released an improved version of the original Star Ocean for the PlayStation Portable called Star Ocean: First Departure. In 2009, an improved version of The Second Story for the PlayStation Portable was released as Star Ocean: Second Evolution.
Star Ocean: The Last Hope was released in North America just one week after its Japanese launch on the Xbox 360. An enhanced version called Star Ocean: The Last Hope International Edition was later released as a PlayStation 3 exclusive worldwide in early 2010. This version included Japanese audio, new character portraits, and other exclusive features. The game is also available on Steam as a 4K and Full HD remaster.
Star Ocean: Blue Sphere is the only game in the series that has never been
Common elements
The characters in the series were created to look like action figures. A feature that would change the characters’ appearance based on their equipment was planned but not used because designing many characters would have taken too much time. In a later game, Star Ocean: The Last Hope, the characters’ looks did change to match the weapons they used.
A common gameplay element is that some story choices and endings are hard to find. Players cannot see things like "affection points," which affect how choices are made. This has upset some players who feel they missed options they didn’t know existed, but others enjoy the chance to replay the game to discover new choices and stories.
Star Ocean games include many ways to use items. Players can make new tools or improve old ones by crafting, such as metalworking, alchemy, writing, painting, and cooking. The strongest equipment is usually only available by creating items. Other items can be sold for money or used for other purposes, like books that teach new skills or food that helps avoid inventory limits. This makes item creation an important part of the game.
Star Ocean games are known for their real-time battle systems, which were among the first of their kind for consoles. Battles happen on a separate screen, and all characters can move freely in three dimensions, dodge enemies, and attack. They must cast spells or use special moves even when enemies attack. In earlier games, magicians used spells, and fighters used physical attacks called "Killer Moves," which required reaching certain levels or completing specific tasks. In Star Ocean: Till the End of Time, all characters can use both spells and Killer Moves.
Music
The first Star Ocean game was composed by Motoi Sakuraba. It included musical sounds from real instruments, such as flutes, and also featured recorded battle cries during combat. Sakuraba composed and arranged the music for Star Ocean and First Departure. Music critics praised his use of progressive rock style and noted his creative musical choices in the original Star Ocean score and First Departure. Some songs from Star Ocean: The Second Story were added to the First Departure album. These included familiar Star Ocean themes and some less-known songs. A few musical pieces were not included in the original album but were added in the remake. The First Departure remake included the theme song "Heart," performed by the Japanese group Asunaro. This song played during the game's opening and ending scenes and was part of the official soundtrack released in 2008. For the First Departure R version, the song "Atarashī Ippo" ("The First Step") by Yauchi Keiko of Shadow of Laffandor replaced "Heart."
Motoi Sakuraba composed the music for Star Ocean: Blue Sphere. He created the soundtrack using a PC-9801 computer. Composing music for the Game Boy Color was difficult due to limited sound capabilities. Sakuraba especially remembered the battle theme "Hand to Hand," as he tried to create a sense of action despite the hardware's limitations. He also composed the music for Star Ocean: Till the End of Time. The soundtrack was released in four parts. A special edition of Volume 1 included a box to hold all four albums. When the game was updated to the Director's Cut version, Sakuraba composed new music, which was released as a separate album. The song "The Small Bird That Forgot How to Fly," performed by JPop singer Misia, played during the game's ending credits. Sakuraba also composed the music for Star Ocean: The Last Hope. Its soundtrack was released in two parts: the first was a 3-CD set containing 71 tracks, including a DVD with an interview with Sakuraba, footage of his workshop, and performances of his original music. The second part was an arranged version of the soundtrack with remixed tracks. Sakuraba continued to work on the series, including a "synth-rock" soundtrack for Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness. He also composed the music for Star Ocean: Anamnesis.
Manga and anime
There was an incomplete manga series created by Mayumi Azuma that was based on Star Ocean: The Second Story. This manga inspired an anime series called Star Ocean EX, which was also incomplete. The anime series was released in the United States by Geneon Entertainment. The anime has 26 episodes that cover events from the first disc of the PlayStation game. Later, the story continued through drama CDs.
Reception
By 2013, the game series had sold more than 4.2 million copies. In a 2009 review, Nintendo Life praised the technical quality of Star Ocean, calling it "one of the best-looking Super Nintendo games ever created" and noting that the soundtrack "never ceases to amaze." Famitsu reviewed Star Ocean: The First Departure, a remake of the original Star Ocean, and said the animation and characters were well done. They also called the story "charming," but noted that players could only save their progress in specific areas, such as the world map. They added that the world map was too large and had a limited field of view.
Star Ocean: The Second Story is one of the most popular games in the series. Most reviewers gave positive feedback, but some called the game only average. Jeff Lundrigan, who reviewed the PlayStation version for Next Generation, said the game had both strengths and weaknesses, but ultimately described it as "average." Star Ocean: Blue Sphere became popular in Japan because of its story and gameplay systems. This led tri-Ace to remake it for mobile devices. The remake included redrawn graphics and a remastered soundtrack.
Initially, Star Ocean: Till the End of Time received some negative feedback in Japan. Some parts of the game were reported to have errors, and it did not work on older PlayStation 2 models (SCPH-10000). Enix blamed Sony because the game used features from updated software that were not compatible with older models.
Star Ocean: The Last Hope was reviewed by IGN. They said the story had a slow pace that could have been more engaging, but the game still held together well with action-filled gameplay. One issue was the need to switch discs when traveling between planets later in the game.
Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness was noted by IGN for having graphics that varied greatly in quality, from very high quality to low quality similar to Minecraft. The review also mentioned that there were no cutscenes, which reduced the emotional impact of the acting. However, the game’s music and characters were praised. Star Ocean: Anamnesis was described by Kotaku as "exploitative but charming." The review praised the game’s use of nostalgia but criticized its free-to-play format for being unoriginal.